


The Tale of Briseis

by fanaticfangirl



Series: What should have happened after The Song Of Achilles [2]
Category: The Song of Achilles - Madeline Miller
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, F/F, Fluff, M/M, Reincarnation
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-09
Updated: 2019-01-31
Packaged: 2019-04-20 20:41:11
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 6,390
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14269119
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanaticfangirl/pseuds/fanaticfangirl
Summary: Sequel to the Redoes of Achilles. Hopefully will make you ship Briseis and Deidameia once you're done. Basically, everyone from the Song of Achilles gets reincarnated, with it all being told from Briseis's perspective. Side of Patroclus and Achilles, since you have to ship them and their my babies. So, hope you enjoy!





	1. Childhood

The first thing Briseis saw was light. A bright, white light, much harsher than the sun. She opened her mouth to yell for help, but all that came out was a cry, like one from a baby. Try as she might, she couldn't speak. She was swept up in the air by somebodies strong arms, and looked into the eyes of a woman in her early thirties. She had peculiar, unnatural eyes, the color of the sky and fair hair. Briseis didn't know what to make of her. she wore a white outfit, covering most of her body. Later on, Briseis would learn this woman was called a doctor, and had helped her come into this world, again. But for now, Briseis only screamed at the top of her lungs.  
Where was she? Why could she barely move? Why was she wet? Where were her friends? The woman cleaned her and Briseis got her first look at herself. She was...a baby? The woman put her in a soft pink blanket, and spoke to Briseis in a strange language with a soothing tone. Briseis had never heard the language before. She had no idea what was going on. For the rest of the day, Briseis was coddled, cuddled, given a different name, and utterly confused. Her 'parents', people with dark skin like hers but who looked little like her real parents gave her a name from their foreign tongue. "Elizabeth". A strange name, and one she did not like.  
Eventually, she was wrapped up so she could no longer struggle and put in a crib surrounded by other babies. The attendant left, and at this point, Briseis was too exhausted to scream. She was too scared to sleep, so instead she just thought. After an hour of so, during which Briseis thought about her death, a figure appeared. She recognized her as one of the Greek Gods Patroclus had taught her, and her young eyes widened. 

"Hello Briseis," said Demeter, goddess of agriculture. She was dressed peculiarly, in a tight green tunic resembling top, with words in a strange alphabet written on it. Her curly blonde hair was long and tied back in a braid. She looked tired.  
"I'm here to explain things to you. You see, you and some of your...friends have been given the opportunity for a new life. A better one, with no war and no interference from the Gods."  
Briseis smiled, her heart leaping. Another chance! One where she could have a fulfilling life, one where she made her own decisions and was no ones slave. Demeter nodded, seeming to have read her mind.  
"Yes, you can do those things. There are twelve other reincarnations, friend and foe. Each are representatives of a god. I am yours. I hope you enjoy this new chance. Few get it."  
She turned to leave, job fulfilled. But something made her pause. The usually indifferent Goddess decided to leave a little advice. "I will not see you again, child. Do not waste your opportunity on Patroclus . His soul is forever entwined with another. He will not love you in any universe. "  
With those harsh, but true pieces of advice, the Goddess disappeared. Briseis was left to consider her words. 

\-------------------------------------------------------------------------  
Briseis learned steadily about this new place called America. She quickly picked up their language, English, though it took two incredibly annoying years for her vocal cords to properly arrange themselves. She learned to walk early on, although she hated how inconvenient it was to be so small. Her parents were good, kind people who insisted on calling her Elizabeth. She hated the name, and refused to respond to it. Eventually, they shortened it to Beth. Briseis didn't like the name, it was too simple, but she answered to it. At 1 year, she couldn't yet tell her parents that it was not the name she would ever go by. It was better than Elizabeth, at the very least.  
At every opportunity, Briseis 'read'. at first, she couldn't read English, only stare at the foreign symbols. But she could look at pictures. She poured through her parents books, full of photographs of strange places she dreamed of going, people wearing odd clothing and with skin and hair of so many colors. These things confused and made her full of awe. So much had happened since she died, so many terrible, wonderful things. Things she could experience!  
She was so young, but already Briseis had many plans for this wonderful new world.  
Up until Briseis was seven, she pretended to be a normal child with a normal childhood. She lived in a place called Virginia with her lawyer parents, responded to Bri, and knew multiple languages. She was something of a child genius, but Briseis cared little for fame. She had seen first hand what it did to a person, and the consequences. All she wanted was to be happy.  
But when she was seven, she met her. Diana.  
Before Diana, all her peers were children. They were simple and foolish, and though Briseis loved children, she did not see them as her equals. But Diana?  
Diana was her equal. They instantly clicked. Both girls had their own issues, of course. But they changed each other for the better. Briseis was still mildly obsessed with Patroclus, and didn't understand how to be independent. Diana was immature, and didn't know that she couldn't get everything she desired. They fixed those things in each other.  
Diana built up Briseis's confidence, showing her how smart and amazing she was daily, and Briseis helped Diana grow up, and educated her. It was no surprise that, on the way, Briseis fell in love with her.  
Briseis had always been attracted to women, if only fleetingly. Diana though...she blew even Patroclus away. But it wasn't until the middle of seventh grade that they learned each others true identities. 

Briseis was staying at Diana's house for the night. This was not unusual for the two best friends, but tonight, Briseis couldn't sleep. She was too caught up in thinking about the past, and how wonderful this life was. Technology, books, feminism, the LGBTQ+ movement, it was more than anything she could have dreamed of.  
Arubtly, Diana, who slept next to her, spoke. "No! Please! Achilles, please don't leave me. I'm with child!" Briseis sat up ramrod straight, brain full of new information.  
Diana was speaking Ancient Greek. She had mentioned Achilles, Aristos Achaion Achilles. The name, even in Ancient Greek, was not common. And lastly, with child? Achilles had had a son, the boy was responsible for Briseis's death. Was Diana the reincarnated mother of the boy?  
Briseis shook her friends shoulder. Diana woke with a start.  
"Bri! Oh my gods, not another memory," she sobbed, speaking in Greek. Briseis replied in Patorclus's mother tongue.  
"Calm down, it was a dream. Its over, my friend." she rocked her softly, calming her down. Eventually, Diana came back to herself.  
"Bri, how do you know Ancient Greek?" she asked in English. Briseis studied her, and replied in Greek.  
"Are you a reincarnation by a god, too?" Diana's eyes widened dramatically. She swore in Greek.  
"Whats your real name?" she finally said.  
"Briseis. I was a slave girl from Troy. Yours?"  
"Deidameia. I was Achilles's wife, and the mother of Pyrrhus...But I never got the chance to see him."  
"What happened?" asked Briseis, gently holding her friend. She began to stroke her silky brown hair in a soothing way.  
"Thetis took Pyrrhus from me in the middle of the night. I died, full of regret, shortly after. I wished for another chance at every turn of my life. And now I have it!"  
Briseis smiled, glad she had Diana/Deidameia. They would be okay, now that they had each other for support.  
"And what about you?"  
"Me?"  
"Your relation to Achilles. I assume he is why we are here."  
"Oh. I was his slave girl. Patroclus took pity on me, so Achilles claimed me as his. I never liked Achilles much, he was too arrogant and took Patroclus for granted. But Patroclus, well, I fell in love with him. We were very good friends. Sadly, his heart always had belonged to Achilles."  
Briseis did not see the look of annoyance and anger on her friends face at her words, and kept talking.  
"Agamemnon, a king, wanted me for his own. He stole me from Achilles. Although Achilles cared little for me, because of his damned pride, he wanted me back badly. So he stopped fighting. Patroclus was furious at him for not just taking me back, and stopping his fighting. He visited me in secret, but I stayed Agamemnons slave. Patroclus went to war to defend his people, and was killed because of it. Achilles, and rightly so, was killed soon afterwards. But-"  
Briseis stopped, not sure whether to go on. Deidameia looked confused, and gestured for her to continue.  
"You won't like it." said Briseis. What Deidameia did not like was how she said Patroclus's name, but she still wanted her to keep talking.  
"Well, fine. Pyrrhus came to camp after his fathers death. And he was, well, evil. Even worse than Achilles, and just a boy too. I attempted to kill him, to save our people, and he murdered me in retaliation."  
Deidameia didn't even look surprised. "He was raised by Thetis. I expected nothing else. I am sorry, though. You deserved nothing like that."  
The two women embraced, glad to come clean to each other and be even closer. They fell asleep cuddling, the past (mostly) forgotten.  
For the time being, at least.


	2. Freshman, Sophomore, and Junior Year Crammed Into One Chapter

It was high school when they found the next reincarnation. Deidameia was sponsored by Hera, and when they both turned fifteen, their 'powers' came in. Briseis had always been good with plants, but now she could grow anything. She was weirdly attune to the plants needs, and it quickly became one of her favorite new hobbies. Her room was quickly overtaken with exotic plants, and her garden was something her parents loved to boast about. Deidameia, meanwhile, was wonderful as a nurse in practice. She loved taking care of children, something she wasn't sure had been accurate before, and was a wonderful baby sitter. Her favorites were newborns. She intended to go into nursing, so she could take care of the babies and maybe help the mother give birth. It wasn't something she would have ever considered herself doing in the past, but she found she enjoyed it now. 

Another change was both girls nightmares. Before, they had had occasional ones, average blurry nightmares, like everyone. Now, they were vivid memories. Briseis dreamed commonly of her death, and the Greek trashing her home. Another popular one was Patroclus' body. They were vivid, in full color, and she hated them all.  
Deidameia dreamed of raping Achilles which was something she deeply regretted, giving birth, and of dying. None of them had been easy, but her death was the worst. She had died of illness, a cancer that was common today. Brain cancer. She woke up, in her dreams, confused. Everything was blurry, she couldn't think, and she fell to the ground. Her body seized, over and over again. She hated it, and always woke up crying and feeling empty. She rarely went back to sleep after those dreams, and commonly went to the doctor. If she perchance got brain cancer again, she wanted to know. She wanted to be able to control it.  
The one good things about their nightmares was that now, they had each other. If one of them had a nightmare, they would walk to the others house and spend the night together. It helped them relax and feel better, and it was a therapy of some sorts. They still hadn't told each other about their feelings, but they treasured the nights together. It was a reward, of some sorts, for dealing with the nightmares.

Their freshman year, they found Diomedes. He and Briseis had known each other in the past. They hadn't been friends, since she was little more than a slave, but they knew each other and had admired the other from afar. He was sponsored by Hephaestus. It didn't influence him as much as the two women, but he did have an A+ in the schools shop class. He could also repair most cars put in front of him. This time around, the two hit it off. They saw each other the first day, in Briseis' Advance English class. Briseis had plopped her things down next to him, greeted him, and given him her phone number. They had talked during class, and realized they had quite a bit in common.  
Diomedes was talkative, and quite the jock, so he got on Briseis' nerves quite a bit. But both loved to read nonfiction, had a peculiar sense of humor, and were full of crazy stories. 

Their freshman and sophomore year passed quickly, with the three growing close.While Diomedes worked his way up the football food chain and Briseis and Deidameia danced around each other, they found another reincarnation who wasn't exactly welcome. Briseis saw him first, in her music class. She was minding her own business, writing in a notebook and daydreaming about Deidameia when the teacher cleared her throat.  
"Class," she said, Briseis not looking up, "This is our new student, Achilles."  
Briseis' head snapped up. She locked eyes with the blonde, his curious green eyes never leaving hers. The last time she'd seen him alive was when she'd been cleaning Patroclus' body, and had blamed him for his death. Both their eyes narrowed slightly. He went to sit next to her.  
"Wheres Patroclus?" demanded both in unison. They looked at each other, confused.  
"I thought he was with you?!" said Achilles indignantly.  
"Why would he be with me? Your his soulmate, or whatever!" he blushed slightly, but still looked worried.  
"Fuck, this wasn't part of the deal.." he muttered in Greek.  
"What deal?" asked Briseis. He looked the same as he had been: slight, small and strong, with long blonde hair that resembled gold. He wore simple jeans and a black shirt that stood out starkly against his hair. She had never seen him in the color before.  
He paused before he spoke. "After I died, I fulfilled twelve tasks given to me by the gods. For every task, I gained a person. You are one of them."  
"Well, thank you for bringing me back," she admitted. "And I will ensure that we find Patroclus."  
"Fine," he said stiffly. "Who else have you found?"

"What the fuck is he doing here?" demanded Deidameia, glaring at Achilles. She looked bewildered, angry, and a little afraid, too. Achilles glared back, hatred in his eyes.  
"Deidameia, please calm down. Both of you have changed, for the better."  
"How?" asked Diomedes, plopping down at their table. He offered Achilles a brief smile.  
"Deidameia has grown up, and regrets her actions. And obviously, Achilles has learned from his mistakes."  
"Prove it," said Achilles softly, eyes blank. He stared at Deidameia, with no force behind it. Just watching. Deidameia looked sad, but didn't flinch.  
"Achilles, listen." she said, spreading her hands. "I am truly sorry for my actions. I cannot really excuse them. I was a child, and I raped you. And then I had sex with Patroclus to feel better, and acted like a child."  
"WHAT!?" yelled Briseis, Achilles, and Diomedes at once. Achilles looked murderous, Briseis betrayed, and Diomedes confused.  
"Wait," said Briseis, addressing Diomedes "Why do you care?"  
"Patrochilles is my otp," he said, munching on his burger. He looked perplexed, and stared at the burger like it had the secrets to the universe. Briseis didn't even ask.  
Achilles looked furious. Not as much as when Patroclus had been killed, but equal to when Agamemnon disrespected him. Briseis didn't know what to feel.  
"You had sex...with Patroclus?" Achilles said, deathly calm. Deidameia shifted awkwardly in her chair.  
"It was consensual." she said, treading carefully. "In hindsight, I think he felt sorry for me. He was definetly attracted to me, but it didn't mean anything."  
Achilles turned his back to the table, composing himself. "Deidameia," he said, choosing his words delicately, "Stay away from me for at least a week, or I will do something very, very rash."  
He left. Deidameia looked impressed.  
"Wow, for a second I thought he would kill me."  
"If he had, you'd have deserved it." said Diomedes, eating happily. Lunch went on.

For the rest of the week, Achilles was down right furious. He kept accidentally breaking things and everyone, even teachers, stayed far away. Eventually, Briseis had had enough.  
"Talk," she said during chorus.  
"About?" he questioned, warning in his light voice. She ignored it. If he killed anyone, it would be Deidameia.  
"You feel betrayed by Patroclus, don't you?" she said. He nodded slightly.  
"Put it in perspective. Patroclus had just found you, after some time. You were young, 19? He probably felt alone, abandoned by you. You were treating Deidameia poorly, and he pitied her. Shes gorgeous. She wanted sex. Its no ones fault, so Get. Over. It. Okay?"  
After a minute, he nodded slightly, and visibly relaxed.  
"I still don't like her." he said eventually.  
"You don't have to," said Deidameia, humming along to a catchy pop song. She loved the music of this century. "Jut don't murder her and we'll be fine. Relax Achilles. Lets sing."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does no one ever address the fact that Patroclus and Deidameia had sex? Honestly, every time I reread that scene, I still feel shocked and betrayed. It needs more press. Plus, no one ever addresses that Deidameia also raped Achilles? Like, honestly? I love her as a character, but I don't want anyone to forget that or excuse it. She needs to learn from her mistakes, and grow the fuck up.  
> Don't worry, Patroclus is on his way. I just love to make Achilles suffer.


	3. The Cliche High School Sport Scene

They ran into more reincarnation on their last year of high school. Except, these were even less welcome than Achilles.  
Diomedes, Achilles, and Deidameia were on the basketball team. Briseis, ironically, was on the swim team. Achilles was also on the track team, something he excelled at. He was a very different man now. He never bragged, and was quiet, thinking before he spoke. He never smiled either, and didn't shine like he used to. He was still a beautiful man, but their was a sadness around him that kept people away. Briseis thought it was a good change, even if she wanted him to be happy.  
Meanwhile, Briseis couldn't help but worry that Deidameia was in love with Achilles. Her crush had said nothing about it, but Deidameia had never expressed interest in anyone for as long as she'd known her. And Achilles was better now. Briseis was glum. How come everyone she fell in love with only wanted Achilles? Was she cursed?  
Anyway, they were playing a rival high school. Briseis sat in the bleachers, watching her friends. They wore well fitting red jerseys, and she'd be lying if she said she wasn't checking Deidameia's ass out. then, Deidameia turned suddenly and started waving frantically at Briseis. Briseis, confused, waved back. Then, Deidameia pointed at the opposing team. Briseis followed her finger, studying the opposition. Her eyes widened.

Among the giant men was Hector, Paris, and Agamemnon. Hector and Agamemnon were openly watching Achilles, dislike in their eyes. Achilles was glaring back at Hector with a fury that frightened Briseis, and the water bottle in his hand was in pieces. Paris looked annoyed. All he probably wanted was to get this over with. Deidameia's hand was near her shorts, where Briseis knew for a fact she kept a knife. A part of her hoped she'd use it.  
Hector was the head of the opposing basketball team, and it was painful to see him and Diomedes shake hands before the beginning of the game. The ball was thrown into the air, and with one quick movement, Diomedes had passed Achilles the ball. The game began. Deidameia scored the teams first basket, leaving Agamemnon with a sour look on his face. It was funny to watch Deidameia be on offense and put him off at every opportunity. By the second half, he had been benched. Achilles took on Hector personally, both boys shoving each other at every opportunity. Achilles got fouled for shoving Hector too hard at the end of the first half, when Hector reached up to make a basket and Achilles pushed him into the bleachers. Agamemnon got benched permanently too, when after Achilles left, he got cocky. He shoved Diomedes into the wall, who crumpled like a toy. It was terrifying.  
It left Deidameia with her remaining teammates, against Paris, Hector and their other giant teammates. They never stood a chance. Time and time again, Deidameia got her teammates to block the other boys and let her score over and over. At the end of the game, Deidameia's team had won, 81 to 65.  
Briseis ran down to check on her friends the minute the buzzer went off. 

"Are you okay?" she said, pulling Deidameia into a hug. She was sweaty, but smelled like rose perfume. She pulled back and looked her over. "Those assholes didn't hurt you, right? Cause if they did, I'll-"  
"I'm fine, Bri. Promise." said Deidameia, a look on her face Briseis didn't know how to interpret. It made her melt. Abruptly, Deidameia looked over her friends shoulder and swore. Briseis followed her gaze to see Achilles marching across the gym to Hector, all of his reason gone. Briseis and Deidameia ran after him, and caught him by each arm.  
"Don't do it, Achilles!" said Deidameia, digging her heels in. Achilles ignored her, easily pulling both girls along.  
"Achilles, stop!" said Briseis, worry in her voice. In a state like this, she had no idea what he would do. Then, Hector turned, violence in his eyes. He locked his gaze on Achilles, and began to march to the three friends. Both girls pulled even harder, but Achilles was still technically part god. They were out of options. Briseis used her last card.  
"PATROCLUS!" she yelled at the top of her lungs. Everyone, even those not involved, froze. All eyes turned to her. She focused on the three reincarnations. Achilles and Hector looked shocked, Deidameia curious. Briseis brought herself up to her full height, all her 5'7 glory. No one had uttered his name in years, and she thought it was about damn time to talk about it. She turned to address Hector first, in their old language. It was fitting, when addressing this old conflict.  
"You killed him," she stated simply. "You didn't make him suffer, something I'm thankful for. And you payed for your actions with death. If you fight Achilles, you will die again. You have another chance, Hector. Do you want to waste it?"  
Hector looked astonished, brown hair sticking up a bit. He was so young, like all of them. She turned to Achilles, and took his soft hand.  
"He died unexpectedly," she said gently. "When you were mad at each other. And yes, it was because of your damn pride. You killed Hector once, and rightly so. Now? You have another chance with Patroclus. If you kill Hector, that chance, and Patroclus, will be gone forever. You've already avenged Patroclus, Achilles. Why must you do it again, throwing away both your happiness?"  
She took Deidameias hand, letting Achilles's fall. Deidameia was smirking proudly at her, beautiful brown eyes soft and content. They left, not looking back.  
"You were a badass out there." Deidameia said in English, voice light.  
Briseis came out of her stupor, and her cheeks turned red. She realized she was still holding her best friends coarse hand, and reluctantly let it drop.  
"Thanks. It needed to be said. Lets go check on Diomedes."

Achilles ran up to them before they could leave the gym. "Um, Briseis?"  
"Yeah?"  
"Thank you. I owe you one."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to go with cliche, and wrote an entire football game scene, before realizing I know nothing about football. So the game most of our reincarnations love is basketball.


	4. The Girls Get Their Shit Together

College was finally here. Achilles, Deidameia, Diomedes and Briseis all agreed to go to the local college together. It was a bit outside of town, an hours drive. A new scene, but still close to home. As time went on Briseis and Achilles had grown surprisingly close. Their relationship had begun as the sole purpose of reminiscing about Patroclus. Soon, though, they discovered they were similar in surprising ways. They both liked the same music genres, classical and pop, and bonded over their different ways of stroy telling. Briseis was best when she spoke, and planned on becoming a TV show or radio host. Achilles was best in music, and wrote countless songs he only shared with Briseis. Mostly, they were about Patroclus. They were all beautiful songs.   
Another main point of their relationship was Achilles's many attempts to get Briseis and Deidameia together. He fully believed they were meant for each other, and constantly told Briseis to ask her best friend out. But Briseis couldn't. She didn't want to lose Deidameia over a stupid crush. With Achilles and Briseis spending time together, Deidameia and Diomedes had also bonded. Briseis was a little jealous of the way Diomedes could just sprawl over her on the couch, but never said anything. 

"Our first day at college." said Deidameia, a broad grin on her face. She had a bit of a sunburn on her nose, but all it did was make her look cuter. Deidameia and Briseis were roommates, with Achilles and Diomedes down the hall. The friends had elected to stay together. Briseis hoped the boys wouldn't kill each other by the end of the year, even if only on accident. They had found out that Hector, Agamemnon, Paris, and a new addition, Helen, were going to their college too. Even if Briseis had believed in coincidences, she would never call this one. Even now, the gods were meddling little shits.   
Their..frenemies lived in a house a few away from them. They had god gifts too. Helen was even more beautiful than ever, and every boy (and several girls) would fall over themselves daily to help her. Agamemnon could steal, and got away with Achilles's watch once. Achilles was angry for a week after, and barely resisted beating him up. Hector was bulkier, and angered easier. Paris's change was the least noticeable, though he was head of the schools archery team.   
Neither group was happy to see the other again, but they were no longer enemies. That life was over.

"This should be fun," Briseis said, unpacking. It would be torture to sleep next to her crush since she was 10, for her to undress in front of Briseis, for them to grow even closer. But at the same time, Briseis wouldn't give it up for the world. Unrequited love was a bitch.   
"Yeah! Roommates. Do you think we'll find more reincarnations?"  
"Yes. Hopefully Patroclus will be among them." Briseis smiled softly at the thought of her friend. Out of the corner of her eye, Deidameia stiffened.   
"You still love him, don't you?" she said. Her voice was quiet, and she looked..sad, almost. Briseis stared at her, confused.   
"Of course! I never stopped."  
Deidameia hunched her shoulders inwards, and looked down. A though came to Briseis.  
"Don't worry, 'dameia. He won't replace you. I love you too!"  
Deidameia smiled, thogh there was still something sad in her eyes. She spoke.  
"But he loves Achilles!"  
Briseis paused, confused. Then, she threw her head back and laughed. Deidameia looked insulted but before she could leave, Briseis grabbed her hand. Brown eyes locked. Deidameia's were lined with gold eyeliner, bringing out the gold in them. She wore a white dress that showed off her long legs. After a second or a year, Briseis spoke.  
"I once loved Patroclus more than anything in the world. And he loved me. But at the center of his universe was Achilles, never me."  
She took a deep, calming breath and took the plunge.   
"Then I was reborn. And I changed. And I met this wonderful, fantastic woman who I learned to love even more than him, especially romantically."  
Deidameia's eyes were wide with shock, lips in a small o shape. Briseis released her hands, piece done.  
"I'm sorry, Deidameia. But you needed to know."  
Before she could blink, Deidameia had her hands on Briseis's face and they were kissing. Briseis made a surprised noise, but kissed her back. She tasted like oranges. Briseis melted, pressing her hands onto Deidameia's warm back. Deidameia smiled, essentially breaking the kiss, and curled her fingers into Briseis's blue shirt. It was Briseis's first real kiss, her first having been one sided with Patroclus. It was utterly amazing. Eventually, they pulled away.  
"Finally," murmured Deidameia, eyes still on Briseis's lips.   
"Be my girlfriend?" asked Briseis boldly. Deidameia grinned, and nodded.


	5. Introspection and Automedon

They found Odysseus and Penelope weeks later. Penelope and Deidameia had become friends in their English class, and Deidameia had figured it out after hearing her boyfriends name. Odysseus wasn't exactly a common name in California. Odysseus hadn't changed in the slightest, though his hideous beard was happily missing. Penelope had silvery skin, that seemed to glow sometimes, but otherwise was unaffected by the reincarnation. Well, Briseis guessed she was unchanged. As soon as she had learned to read, she had pored through the Iliad and the Odyssey, and Penelope seemed to stay true to character. But then again, she had never met the woman before.   
The several of them, plus the Trojans occasionally, had movie night every Friday. They talked, drank, and relaxed. The former enemies weren't friends, too much blood had been shed for that to be true. But they were allies in the confusion of reincarnation, and how they sometimes forgot basic modern things.  
Achilles commonly forgot how elevators worked, and Deidameia still had no clue how to even turn an oven on. Briseis did all the cooking for the couple.   
Sometimes, they talked about the past. Achilles said they still had to find Patroclus, Automedon, and Menelaus. Helen never failed to tense up at the latters name, old grudges hard to leave in the past. She and Paris shared an on again, off again relationship, always dating other people and eventually reuniting. They had no idea what to do, but still cared deeply for each other. 

That particular Friday night found Briseis on the floor of Achilles and Diomedes's room, her head on her girlfriends lap. Deidameia was seated on the couch, squashed between Achilles and Paris. She stroked Briseis's brown curls, telling Paris about her major. The group was watching the Disney version of Hercules, caught between scorn and love. Hercules had been before their time, but they all knew the stories. Achilles's father had actually been friends with him. The movie was far from the truth.  
Then, when they were watching the so called Hades plot, the door opened.   
"Shit, wrong room," said a familiar voice.  
"Wait, Automedon?" said Briseis, rapidly standing. He stopped and turned, surprised. He raised his eyebrows, glee on his face. She pulled him into a hug.   
"Briseis!" he exclaimed into her shoulder. She had been fairly close to him, and had cared for him like a little brother. She had many fond memories of him, her, Patroclus, Phoenix, and Achilles seated around a fire in camp. They had been a mismatched, sort of family.   
"Where have you been?" he asked happily.  
"Here! With- let me introduce you."  
She pulled him around the room. He looked wary of the Trojans, but seemed the most surprised when Achilles embraced him like a brother. However, he hugged him back. He settled on the floor next to Diomedes, and Briseis snuggled on the couch with Deidameia. She looked around the room, and her eyes couldn't help but stop at Achilles. He had changed so much. She now knew why Patroclus loved him so, and that Achilles and Patroclus were made for each other.   
Automedon joined their little group quickly, and fit right in. Still, that night, Briseis worried. 

Deidameia was tucked into their bed, head resting against Briseis's side. She breathed softly, happy in her dreams. Briseis's mind, though, would not shut up. They had found most of the reincarnations in college. Everyone had picked their major, and was happily settled in. The question was, What if they didn't find Patroclus?  
Achilles would freak. He was already worried, that was clear in the way he moved and talked. Achilles wore his heart on a sleeve, the heart that belonged totally to Patroclus. Briseis missed him for his kindness, intelligence, strength, and soothing presence. Even though he was the kindest person she had ever met, he used his kindness not as a weakness, but an asset. It was fascinating.  
Her thoughts turned to the girl in her bed. Deidameia. She'd had sex with Patroclus before...but Briseis knew she didn't see him like that. There was a possibility that Patroclus resented Deidameia for being with Achilles and carrying his child. Briseis would hate it if that happened. She loved them both. She sighed, turned to her girlfriend, and shut her eyes.  
At least she had a little time before that would come to pass.


	6. Menelaus Has Issues

Menelaus was a complicated part of their tragedy. Briseis had never talked to the man but had seen him multiple times, mostly on platforms, addressing the soldiers with lengthy speeches on courage and honor. She constantly forgot he was the younger brother of Agamemnon, too, as the brothers couldn’t be any more unalike. He always struck her as angry, with a face full of wrinkles and scars, but that may have just been because of his anger about the loss of Helen. Still, she only liked him a little better than Agamemnon, and had no particular inclination towards finding him.  
That and with his appearance came the fact that they would have found everyone except Patroclus. She didn’t want to be around Achilles when that happened.   
At the end of the first year of college, she didn’t know how Achilles was still holding his head up. Everyone was moving on, happy with their 19 unexpected years. Diomedes had gotten a girlfriend, and was going on a roadtrip with her. Automedon was busy with his football career, and had game after game, caught up with his friends on the team. Helen had a modeling contract (so did Paris), Agamemnon and hector were..she had no clue since she didn’t care, Penelope and Odysseus were going to Paris since Odysseus was still a genius, and Deidamia and she were spending the summer together. But Achilles?  
He was lost.  
“Achilles, your 19 plus an eternity! Get a job or something,” said Deidamia as the three headed towards a popular cafe on campus. Achilles would probably get something lame, like a protein shake, but the couple were both caffeine addicts.   
“It's not like I need the money,” he mumbled. Thetis had ensured that he was set for life. As they walked on the sunny day, people did doubletakes while staring at the short blonde, but it was so normal no one noticed. Briseis would argue that Achilles was more beautiful than Paris, even, but that might have been because he looked more feminine. With his hair, eyes, and build, he would fit in well with the Disney Princesses. The booty shorts didn’t hurt, either.   
“What else are you going to do? Binge watch American Horror Story and mope around again?” chided Briseis. “That's not healthy,”  
“No, I’ll go out, I need the exercise.” he reassured them. “Also, the more people I meet..”  
Briseis and Deidamia shared a quick glance. Briseis made a worried look, while Deidamia grimaced.   
The trio entered the coffee shop, small, independent, and full of hipsters. Only a few people looked up from their computers, gaping at them. They waited patiently in line, none of them particularly in the mood to talk about the lack of Patroclus. Briseis looked absentmindedly at the bulletin.  
“Hey! The museum of art is having an exhibit on Greek and Roman artifacts,” she said brightly.   
“The Romans were dicks,” muttered Achilles.  
“And you weren’t?” muttered Deidamia right back.  
“They stole all our history and fitted it to their tastes for their empires! I could have won fights with any of those idiots,” he growled.  
“Emperor Augustus was a badass and you're just afraid to admit it,” Deidamia growled right back. Achilles threw his hands up.  
“Why am I friends with a History major again?!”  
“Guys, it's time to order,” Briseis said through gritted teeth. Speaking to the cute, blue haired barista she said, “Hi, can I get a large iced coffee with sugar please? Thanks. ‘Dameia, what do you want?”  
“Iced caramel frappuccino please. Thanks. And this shake.” she put Achilles’s protein shake on the counter and got out her wallet.  
“Name?”  
“Uh, just put Dee.”  
The person obliged, and they waited patiently for their drinks. As soon as they got them, they left. As Achilles complained about their judgement of his summer activities, waving his shake around as he gestured, someone knocked into them. Achilles tripped, strong but small, and his shake spilled on the bigger man.  
“Shit!” an unfamiliar voice exclaimed, then, “Achilles?”  
They all looked at the unfortunate stranger now covered in pink, seeing Menelaus in a suit with a pissed off expression. No one said anything, then Achilles spoke.  
“Why the fuck are you wearing a suit?”  
Menelaus straightened up, looking like an angry dog. “I have an internship down the street, thank you. Why the fuck are we alive?”  
Someone walking by stopped for a minute, then charged on, thoroughly weirder out. Briseis was tempted to call out to them the truth, but didn’t want to waste time with Menelaus.  
“I did some tasks, got us a second chance. Now, I have two questions, then we never need to talk again. Fine with you?”  
Menelaus nodded, not even looking at the girls. Briseis glared.   
“Do you know where Patroclus is?”  
“No.”  
Achilles breathed a quiet ‘fuck’ of despair, then continued, “Ok. Do you want Agamemnon's number?”  
“Could you..please..give him this?” Menelaus handed the blonde a white business card on fancy paper, and Briseis had to roll her eyes at that. Achilles just nodded and tucked it into his pocket. The two men surveyed each other for a minute, doing the subtle ‘I’m top dog’ stance that pissed her off, then nodded.   
“I hope I never see you again,” Menelaus said easily.  
“The feeling is mutual,” said Achilles, and began to walk again. And just like that, Menelaus swept out of their lives forever, as quickly as he’d arrived in them.  
None of them particularly cared.


End file.
